It is often advantageous to demonstrate or test the use or performance of absorbent products such as diapers, absorbent undergarments (e.g., adult briefs), pads, or other products intended to absorb bodily fluids. Such demonstrations may be especially helpful for personnel in the hospital, long-term care, or clinical settings. Also, such demonstrations are instructive for buyers responsible for selecting absorbent products so that they can choose an appropriate product based on its performance characteristics.
Traditionally, the use or performance of absorbent products has been demonstrated or tested by placing an absorbent product on a surface and applying a fluid to the absorbent product, thereby demonstrating the ability of that absorbent product to absorb the fluid. Accordingly, typical demonstrations of absorbent products are two dimensional in that they are laid flat on a surface and then exposed to fluid.
For example, a standard countertop pour test can be used to demonstrate or test an absorbent product such as an adult brief. In such a test, the adult brief is held open and flat on a table with the absorbent side up. A fluid is then poured onto the adult brief to illustrate how the absorbent components of the adult brief absorb the fluid.
Though the countertop pour test is useful to illustrate the performance of an absorbent product, it only demonstrates the performance of the absorbent product in two dimensions (i.e., on a flat surface). In use, however, absorbent products such as an adult brief absorbs fluid in three dimensions as it conforms to multiple shapes and sizes (i.e., the curves and contours of the wearer's body). The three dimensional nature of the use of an absorbent product therefore results in a pattern of fluid dispersal and absorption that cannot truly be replicated on a flat surface in a two-dimensional test.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved manner of demonstrating the use and/or performance of an absorbent product.